Apparatus for removing carbonaceous material from oil apparatus



A ril 14, 1931. H. w. SHELDON 1,800,954

- APPARATUS FUR REMOVING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM OIL APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1929 JNVENTOR 2%wagz William 5262/1 01 Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED SATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD WILLIAM SHELDON, 01 EAST ORANGENEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO VACUUM OIL COMPANY, or new Yon-n, is. "z, A oonronerrou or new YORK APPARATUS FOR REIVLUVING (li'hBBONiiCEQUS MATERIAL OIL APPARATUS Application. filed July 11, 1929. Serial No, 377,447.

3o soaking drum or reaction chamber where the oil evaporates, due to self-contained heat, and most of the coke produced during the process is deposited.

During the operation of the apparatus the accumulation of coke ultimately fills the chamber, so that it becomes necessary to to move it. The removal of this coke is diilicult, and many means have been devised for it.

In accordance with the present invention,

to there is provided within the clunnber a plurality of indpendent flexible metal cables suspended from various points located at the top of the chamber. The cables are in stalled in such a manner that the coke can be broken up progressively by withdrawing each of the cables separately, from the top downwardly.

The invention will be more readily understood from a consideration of the accom- :zo panying drawings in which,

Figure 1 represents a central vertical section through the evaporating chamber on the line 11 of Figure 2, illustrating the location and manner of attaching the cables 35 to the top and bottom of the chamber.

40 bios to the top or the chamber, and showing a device for holding the respective cables in position.

Figure 1 is a detail view, illustrating a device for breaking up the coke.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents the cy lindrical reaction or evaporating chamber 10 as provided with oil inlets 11, either at the top or bottom of the chamber. The chamber 10 is also provided with a vapor 5D outlet 12, through which the vapors from the chamber may pass to suitable dephlegmators.andcondensers. ,The top and bottom of the chamber 10 are provided with central manholes, closed by heads which are designated by the numerals 13 and 14;, 1'8, spectively, these heads being removable to permit access to the interior of the chamber 10.

. Attachedto the top of the chamber 10 are concentric rings 15, fromjwhichare suspended flexible vertical cables 16, of which any desired number may be supplied. In practice, these ringsand cables are usually substantially equi-distant. There is also a row of cables 17, firmly attached to both the s;

upper and lower ends of chamber 10, upon which cables the spirally wound cable 18 is hung. The cable 18-may be attached to the vertical cables 17 bymeans of tie wires or other suitable devices which are easily broken as the cableis removed.

The means for connecting each cable 16 to one of the concentric ringslo is illustrated in Figure 3. By referring to this figure it will be seen that the tie wire 19 passes through a hole inthe ring 15, the tie wire being also secured in any convenient mannor to an elbow-shaped clamp 20 through which the cable 16 passes. For the purpose of attachment the clamp 20 may be provided with an eye 21 through which the tie wire 19 may pass. The clamp 20 serves to hold the cable 16 in proper position.

The cables 16 may be provided with lugs 22, conveniently diamond-shaped with sharp corners, although the particular shape is not essential, which will tend to cause the choke to be broken upinto relatively small fragments as the cables are withdrawn. The lug 22 is secured to the cable 16 in any desired convenient manner. Each of the cables 16 is supplied with a means, such as a ring 23, which will permit the cable to be grappled at its upper end for its removal. The cables 17 are similarly provided with rings 24, and the coiled cable 18 with a ring 25.

In order to hold the cables in position during the first few hours of the operation, that is, until the lower ends are embedded in coke, the cables may be attached to the bottom of the chamber. For this purpose, each cable 16 is fitted at its lower end with a ring 26, each ring engaging'a hook 27, the hooks 27 being attached in the proper position on the inside of the bottom of the chamber. These hooks have their open ends toward the center of the chamber,so that when the cables are withdrawn, through the lower manhole, they will automatically unhook. When carbon is to be removed from the c chamber the lower manhole I4 is removed and theflexible cable :18 is withdrawn. As this cable is withdrawn it will break out the coke and will core a relatively large vertical passage through the mass. The upper manhead 13- is then removed and the inner row of cables l7is detached from the inside of the manhead nozzleandpulled down through the opening in the center of the cokemass by 20 means of asuitable winch. The cablesflG are then removed by passing a suitable pulling means up through the bottom manhole to the top of the drum and attaching'it to each ring 23, one after another, taking them in the order of their concentriccircles until the entire lot has'been removed, each cable being pulled, from its upper end, downwardly through the lower manhole.

V What'I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: a

o 1. The combination, with an uprightcylindrical chamber provided with central manholes at both ends, of means, for removing carbon from the chamber, comprising a plu-' rality of independent flexible members suspended vertically in the chamber and at different distances from the axis thereof, each of said members being attached, near its up: per extremity, to the top of the chamber and 40 having a free end extending inwardly, from the point of attachment, to a point near the upper manhole, so that each fiexiblemembermay be engaged in turn at said end and separately pulled downwardly through the lower manhole. Y 2. The combination set forth in the'preced ing claim, together with hooks, on the bottom of the chamber, for securing the lowerends of'theflexible members, each hook opening toward the middle of the chamber so that the flexible member may be freely disengaged therefrom when pulled through the lower inanhole. c y l o HOWARD WILLIAM SHELDON, 

